Tundra and Rivers

A meandering river cuts a Z into Alaska's sprawling North Slope tundra. This region is home to dozens of rivers and thousands of oval-shaped lakes.

Beechey Island

Photograph by Emory Kristoff

An icy expanse of Arctic Ocean surrounds the snow-flecked bluffs of Beechey Island in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The Arctic is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceans.

Baffin Island Sun

Photograph by John Dunn

The midnight Arctic sun never strays from the horizon in this time-exposed shot of Nunavut's Baffin Island. Some parts of Nunavut endure 24 hours of light from late April until late August and 24 hours of darkness from late October until mid-February.

Sunlight Over Ice Floes

Photograph by Paul Nicklen

ice floes drift across the Canada Basin, painted gold by the setting sun. Located just north of Canada's Northwest Territories, the Canada Basin's geothermal-heated waters reach depths of more than 9,186 feet (2,800 meters).

Icy Coast

Photograph by Ira Block

The icy coast of Alaska's Little Diomede Island reflects the cool lavender light of the Arctic sun. Big and Little Diomede Island are just two miles (three kilometers) apart but are owned by different countries: Russia and the United States, respectively.

Rising Steam, Iceland

Photograph by Stephen Toner/Getty Images

Ice and steam converge in Hellisheidi, Iceland's stark white-on-white landscape. In spite of its name and proximity to the Arctic Circle, the country enjoys a relatively mild climate moderated by a passing branch of the Gulf Stream.